It’s easy to forget just how much we know about what Jesus said. Hearing the Gospels proclaimed at Mass can feel so familiar, even repetitive, that we start to take them for granted. But when I began praying through the Gospels daily, I realized something remarkable: we know a lot about what Jesus said.
And sometimes, in those prayerful readings, a line will stand out—something rarely quoted or even mentioned.
Take this one from Matthew 22:29. When was the last time you heard someone reference Jesus saying this?
“You are wrong because you do not know the Scriptures or the power of God.”
This moment comes during a debate between Jesus and the Sadducees about the resurrection and their hypothetical scenario involving seven brothers successively marrying the same woman. But what catches me isn’t the debate itself—it’s that line: You are wrong.
If you’d asked me whether Jesus ever uttered those words in the Gospels, I probably would have said, “I don’t think so.” Yet, here it is.
What’s striking is how often we fall into the same trap as the Sadducees. And I don’t mean we think the same thing, it’s that we’re just wrong. And on top of that, Jesus explains why they were wrong: “Because you do not know the Scriptures or the power of God.”
Think about that. How often do we make assumptions about how things work—or how we think they ought to work—without grounding ourselves in God’s Word or trusting His power?
We box God in, limiting Him with our doubts, fears, and human reasoning.
But Scripture has the power to break open those boxes. When we sit with God’s Word, it not only speaks to the people and debates of Jesus’ time but also to us—here and now.
The invitation is clear. Open the Scriptures. Trust in His power. He has so much more to show us.